Friday, June 14, 2013

Comrade Grace Marion calls out Enemies of the People at Facebook

The
committee, Keep KBOO as KBOO, consists of many longtime KBOO community
members. Some of us have been involved at the station for several
decades. We have gathered in response to the some of the measures being
taken by the interim station manager, Lynn Fitch. Mr. Hoyne fails to
mention there is a high level of conflict at KBOO over these measures
that include: • threatening to lay off employees and have them reapply for their jobs;. • hiring an anti-union law firm, Bullard Law, to oppose staff unionization;.
• hiring an anti-union human resources firm, Paychex, to create an
employee handbook incorporating Fitch’s desired changes. Fitch warned
employees keep the contents of the handbook secret, although she has no
legal standing to do so;. • usurping airtime on KBOO to promote
her agenda. On those programs, she made offensive and disparaging
remarks about KBOO staff, volunteers and membership—violating a KBOO
policy forbidding on-air negative comments about those involved at the
radio station. She also told a number of untruths in her attempts to
justify her actions. • Creating a hostile environment for staff members and volunteers who aren’t willing to embrace her changes.

Mr. Hoyne states that he was a board member, but he was never actually
elected to the board of directors; he was appointed for a few months
last year to fill a vacancy until the election in September. He chose
not to run for the board, but immediately following the election, he
stood up at a board meeting and told the directors that he wanted to be
on the board again, but only if he could be president. No one took him
up on it. He is currently spreading false allegations against the
current board president presumably with the intent to replace him.

Another criticism Mr. Hoyne and his allies have made is that KBOO is
too narrow. One such critic, Ed Kraus, won the distinction of being
named Willamette Week’s “Rogue of the Week” in 2009 for barring
Palestinian attorney and activist Hala Gores from appearing on “The
Yiddish Hour” program. Mr. Kraus apparently still feels victimized by
that fallout of that incident, as evidenced by a recent blog post he
wrote about KBOO.

KBOO’s program charter emphasizes that we incorporate the values of
peace, justice, democracy, human rights, multiculturalism,
environmentalism, freedom of expression, and social change. Apparently
these values are too marginal for Mr. Hoyne and his allies, who seem to
want to “dumb down” the on-air content to make it more palatable to a
much wider audience and to corporate funders—which KBOO has managed to
avoid for 45 years. While KBOO can always be improved, why should we
copy a format that is already entrenched in Portland (OPB) when we
should be going deeper with our values to engage people who are looking
for local, noncorporate community radio that engages in a critical
perspective not found at OPB?

There have long been attempts by
people like Fitch, Hoyne, and Kraus to “tame” KBOO and to move it toward
the center. One example was the “Healthy Stations Initiative” in the
1990s that attempted to make community radio stations more mainstream
and palatable to an upper middleclass, mainstream listenership. KBOO
resisted Healthy Stations, and we will resist the efforts of Ben Hoyne,
Lynn Fitch and their allies to take control of our community radio
station.

Since
you still insist on dredging up the past, let me reveal some more
detail about the so-called "barring a Palestinian attorney from being on
the Yiddish Hour". She was not going to be "on the show" at all, but
instead was just supposed to read a canned fundraising script and ask
for money during a three minute break. I've done this for other shows,
including the Persian Hour (get it, Iran). No big deal, and quite
frankly doing this job and raising money on air is a chore. We just
show up, use first names only and get the work done so the radio station
lives on.

But
rather than simply showing up and doing her shift, Hala went on a blog
and email blitz trumpeting to whomever she could reach that she was
going to be "on" the Jewish radio show ... implying somehow this was a
great act of outreach for peace. Had she simply shown up to do her
shift, read the script, and not tried to make this into something it
wasn't supposed to be, no one would have removed her from the pitching
chair. Her politicizing in advance the simple act of asking for money
was her doing, not mine.

Agree
or disagree with her politics, Hala Gores is one of Portland's most
well known and vocal critics of the mere existence of the State of
Israel. Would this play well to a Jewish audience when you're trying to
raise money during a NON-POLITICAL music show for KBOO? During a
meeting with KBOO staff after the initial blowup, I explained the
problem with an analogy. This would be like asking Lars Larson to pitch
for KBOO during Democracy Now. That got a belly laugh from the staff
who understood my point and motivation immediately.

After
Hala's advance spin on various email and blogs, we didn't trust that
she'd stay on script. Her mere presence would have politicized the
radio show. That's why she was asked not to pitch, not because she is
Palestinian. Ironically, we acted so we could more effectively raise
money for the station that gave her a voice for her own anti-Israel
diatribe on Friday mornings. Hala Gores was never denied any airtime.
Lies. Just because WWeek could be manipulated into printing it doesn't
make it true.

Are
you aware that I've aired interviews with Palestinian musicians? Are
you aware that I've often played music from mixed ensembles of Israeli
and Palestinian artists, who sing in Arabic and Hebrew songs for
tolerance and peace? Are you aware that I've been involved in
interfaiith outreach with Christians, Arabs, and Moslems and many others
from other faith communities? No, Grace. You just lash out and
defame someone with whom you have never given the courtesy of a
conversation.

I
defend myself here because I'll continue to be a proud Oregonian and
American, raising money for candidates and being involved in important
issues. People who I care about and work with read this blog. I won't
allow your lies to get in the way of my relationships with responsobile
and active people in Oregon politics.

Can
you explain why five years ago, you refused to return several direct
emails asking for a conversation to clear the air instead of defaming me
on KBOO and WWeek websites? I even asked KBOO to contact you on my
behalf. Silence from you then. More reckless defamation now. Badly
done Grace.

Five
years ago I was livid. But at that time, many people from an amazing
variety of political backgrounds gave me the same message ... "if
Willamette Week is gunning for you, you must be doing something good for
Portland".

By
the way, Thank you. I'm now more engaged as a politcal activist than I
ever would have been had I not be awakened by lies and defamation.
There is too much at stake to let hate speech be used in the name of
liberalism. I utterly condemn you now for not knowing anything about me
and still choosing to parade this nonsense around in blogs.

Ed Kraus

Benjamin HoyneThanks
for commenting Grace. As for my board status, you continue to misquote
me. True I was appointed to the board (as is called for in the kboo
bylaws). I did not run for the board last year as applications were due
in June, at which point I was between
jobs and my wife was 7 months pregnant. When the new board was
installed in October, I had survived the first few months of parenthood
and was gainfully employed. The board needed to appoint 2 seats, which I
applied for. I said I would only like to be considered if the
appointments preceeded the officer elections on the agenda, because I
would like to run for President, as KBOO's current president, in my
opinion is doing a poor job. I stand by that. The
board opted to appoint the 5th and 6th place candidates in the
election, as they had previously indicated they would do. It wasn't a
surprise to anyone.Also, not sure you could call Ed my ally, I've never met him. I re-posted a blog he wrote on KBOO's public website.

Benjamin HoyneEd
Kraus emailed me saying he couldn't post due to technical glitches and
asked if I could post this for him. Since Grace brings him up him here
for some unknown reason, I'll do that. Ed's comments are below:

Grace Marian. I'm calling you and Theresa Mitchell out for defaming people whom you've never really met, never conversed with, and have no idea who they really are.

Here's
my blog post on the situation at KBOO, and subsequent reply to your
desperate attempts by you and your friends to keep total control of
KBOO.

Since
you still insist on dredging up the past, let me reveal some more
detail about the so-called "barring a Palestinian attorney from being on
the Yiddish Hour". She was not going to be "on the show" at all, but
instead was just supposed to read a canned fundraising script and ask
for money during a three minute break. I've done this for other shows,
including the Persian Hour (get it, Iran). No big deal, and quite
frankly doing this job and raising money on air is a chore. We just
show up, use first names only and get the work done so the radio station
lives on.

But
rather than simply showing up and doing her shift, Hala went on a blog
and email blitz trumpeting to whomever she could reach that she was
going to be "on" the Jewish radio show ... implying somehow this was a
great act of outreach for peace. Had she simply shown up to do her
shift, read the script, and not tried to make this into something it
wasn't supposed to be, no one would have removed her from the pitching
chair. Her politicizing in advance the simple act of asking for money
was her doing, not mine.

Agree
or disagree with her politics, Hala Gores is one of Portland's most
well known and vocal critics of the mere existence of the State of
Israel. Would this play well to a Jewish audience when you're trying to
raise money during a NON-POLITICAL music show for KBOO? During a
meeting with KBOO staff after the initial blowup, I explained the
problem with an analogy. This would be like asking Lars Larson to pitch
for KBOO during Democracy Now. That got a belly laugh from the staff
who understood my point and motivation immediately.

After
Hala's advance spin on various email and blogs, we didn't trust that
she'd stay on script. Her mere presence would have politicized the
radio show. That's why she was asked not to pitch, not because she is
Palestinian. Ironically, we acted so we could more effectively raise
money for the station that gave her a voice for her own anti-Israel
diatribe on Friday mornings. Hala Gores was never denied any airtime.
Lies. Just because WWeek could be manipulated into printing it doesn't
make it true.

Are
you aware that I've aired interviews with Palestinian musicians? Are
you aware that I've often played music from mixed ensembles of Israeli
and Palestinian artists, who sing in Arabic and Hebrew songs for
tolerance and peace? Are you aware that I've been involved in
interfaiith outreach with Christians, Arabs, and Moslems and many others
from other faith communities? No, Grace. You just lash out and
defame someone with whom you have never given the courtesy of a
conversation.

I
defend myself here because I'll continue to be a proud Oregonian and
American, raising money for candidates and being involved in important
issues. People who I care about and work with read this blog. I won't
allow your lies to get in the way of my relationships with responsobile
and active people in Oregon politics.

Can
you explain why five years ago, you refused to return several direct
emails asking for a conversation to clear the air instead of defaming me
on KBOO and WWeek websites? I even asked KBOO to contact you on my
behalf. Silence from you then. More reckless defamation now. Badly
done Grace.

Five
years ago I was livid. But at that time, many people from an amazing
variety of political backgrounds gave me the same message ... "if
Willamette Week is gunning for you, you must be doing something good for
Portland".

By
the way, Thank you. I'm now more engaged as a politcal activist than I
ever would have been had I not be awakened by lies and defamation.
There is too much at stake to let hate speech be used in the name of
liberalism. I utterly condemn you now for not knowing anything about me
and still choosing to parade this nonsense around in blogs.

Ed Kraus

Look! They're emailing each other! What more proof of their plotting against the people do we need?

Why none! Down with Blue Oregon!! Down with the Dastardly Three: Fitch, Hoyne and Kraus!! Keep KBOO as KBOO sliding slowly towards Bankruptcy!
Never fear! Solvency is the enemy of the People!! Only when the money is gone will the People be truely free!!

DEFECTING FROM THE INNER PARTY?

Then start packing for the Happy Valley Reeducation Center, where we guarantee ALL Party Members WILL be HAPPY.

But seriously folks...

For readers who don't know the background, this blog was started by a group of KBOO radio fans.

Recent events at the station have been blown out of proportion by a small group of KBOO members who feel threatened by actions of management trying to address the very real issue of financial trouble and keep the station viable.

These people instead believe they are victims of a conspiracy involving Station Navigator Lynn Fitch and have promoted their cause with the worst kind of missionary zeal, in some cases using unethical tactics like impersonation. They call themselves "Keep KBOO KBOO" and appear to be led by Theresa Mitchell, who has a penchant for using revolutionary imagery and jargon. Allies include KBOO Board members abusing their influence. This begged for satire, thus this blog was born.

We are documenting the ongoing tussle and any new fibs and misinformation the "Keep KBOO KBOO" crowd creates. They also have a website called savekboo.org . We recommend anyone leaving comments there to archive them in text or images, as a certain amount of rewriting history is known to happen there.

BACK TO THE BARRICADES COMRADES!!!!

Praise for "Save KBOO from Save KBOO"

"is the funniest thing I've read in a long time." - delighted at Portland Indymedia June 7, 2013

"Anyway, the obsessives here are directly and clearly defined by how many 'NYAH NYAH NYAH-NYAH-NYAH-NYAH (e.g. "save kboo from asave kboo")'-titled smear-blog Obsessive Paranoiac websites they can manage to create in a week. " -huh? at Portland Indymedia June 7, 2013